The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) on Wednesday, May 12, closed down a number of public toilets in the Central Business District (CBD).
The exercise caught millions of Nairobi residents who were going about their business in the capital unawares – forcing many of them to be innovative.
“I peed on a flower bed because my bladder was threatening to burst. I threw caution to the wind and did what I would not have done on a normal day. I thank God I wasn’t arrested by County officers,” John* told Mwanahabari.co.ke.
Many others – especially women – strayed into open restaurants and bars – posing as customers.
Others – especially touts and other PSV operators conducted their small businesses between parked vehicles – on the parking and bus stops.
Nearly four million people visit the capital daily – many of them while transiting to other areas – and all of them need the Happy Rooms to get answer to the call of nature.
The NMS toilet crackdown affected public toilets located at the OTC, National Archives and Accra Road, which serve hundreds of thousands if not more – on a daily basis.
An NMS officer who was conducting the exercise said that the move was prompted by security concerns after rival groups running the facilities clashed on Monday, May 10.
Then there are self-help groups that have written to NMS challenging the legality of those managing the facilities.
Mwanahabari.co.ke has established that toilet business is a lucrative multi-million venture that has attracted interests from many people in the city. Some of them are powerful cartels with deep connections – and deep pockets.
“The allocation process should be done in manner that will guarantee peace, harmony and social existence. It should also be compliant with the law governing the way public contacts are awarded,” reads part of the letter by the group’s spokesman Peter Njoroge.
According to Njoroge, things started going wrong in 2018 after politicians with deep pockets brought in cartels to manage the facilities on their own behalf.
The toilets charge Ksh10 for every visit, with toilet at the OTC said to be leading in daily collection.
Nairobi has a total of 27 toilets spread across the capital – but even these can hardly meet the city’s growing demand.